What I'm doing now: from Biomedical Science to Medicine

Throughout her time here, Alison was heavily involved in activities tailored to international students and it's the inclusive atmosphere of the university that Alison experienced as an undergraduate that played a big part in her choosing to stay at Sheffield for her Medicine degree. 

"When I did my A levels, I originally applied for Medicine. Though I didn't get good enough grades to get into Medicine, Sheffield was kind enough to offer me a place on the Biomedical Science course. Now doing a second degree in medicine in Sheffield, I thoroughly feel that my time studying Biomedical Science put me in good standing in comparison to my peers. The course gave me a good understanding of human physiology and anatomy, especially since we did full body cadaveric dissection, which was immensely interesting and helpful. I was also more comfortable with lab work and writing objectively and professionally, which definitely helped the quality of my work in Medicine.

"During my third year in Biomedical Science, I also had the opportunity to work with real patients as part of the "Patients As Educators' scheme. I got to speak to patients who had type 2 diabetes and propose a research project that would identify genetic mutations that put a patient at higher risk of reactive oxidative species. The proposed research would then have the potential to reduce the chances of diabetic foot, and thus benefit the NHS by reducing the costs of treating diabetic foot. The Biomedical Science course definitely helped me hone a good work ethic and think laterally when faced with a problem, which translates so well when I am applying this to Medicine.

I am so glad that Sheffield offered me a place on the Biomedical Science course as it has allowed me to gain confidence, not only as a researcher, but in my ability to solve problems with critical thinking.

Alison Lee

BSc Biomedical Science

"As an international student, I have found Sheffield to be a very welcoming place. It is great that the city is so student centric and they really cater for international students especially. I had the opportunity to work for the Students' Union as an Global Campus Ambassador and as an International Student Ambassador for the University, so was very involved in activities specifically catered to international students. Examples of events would be Orientation Week, which is where over 1000 students come to Sheffield a week before Intro Week in order to get more comfortable with the city and living abroad, and to make new friends along the way. The fact that Sheffield puts so much effort into making international students feel welcome speaks volumes about the inclusivity culture that we are so known for. When deciding where to go for my second degree in medicine, this was definitely a key factor in deciding to stay in Sheffield.

"All in all, I am so glad that Sheffield offered me a place on the Biomedical Science course as it has allowed me to gain confidence, not only as a researcher, but in my ability to solve problems with critical thinking. This has helped me tremendously since I graduated, and I hope to keep applying what I have learnt during my time in Biomedical Science in the future, where I am hoping to specialise in Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery."